Washington is delighted and humbled the USOC is considering us as their partner city to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Unity

The Olympic Movement inspires and unites the people of the world through the universal language of sport. We invite you to share in this vision and join us. Our hope is to bring greater unity to our streets, our city, and our region to build a lasting legacy for our youth through sport.

Our Manifesto

There are a million things that separate us. Language, race, economics, geographies, education. But sport, sport does the opposite. It ignites our hearts, opens our eyes to what is possible, takes what is and points the way to what could be. Calls us to the best in our souls, in our DNA. sport says you can and when we agree, this is unity

Across divisions, across borders, across races and languages, across the oceans that separate, the continents apart, we can find common ground. We can hope for more. We can see the best in ourselves reflected in the best of others. When the truest purpose of life, of sport, of the olympics is clear. When we begin to believe the impossible isn’t. when we find our hearts stirred to greatness that we only find together, this is unity

Do the olympics bring a chance to win or the opportunity to rediscover unity? To find the greatness within each of our hearts, stirred by the achievements of a few. To pull together cities, nations, peoples. To pull together all of us on the planet and to pull us forward to what is possible. Unity is the call. So let the games begin anew. Let unity begin a new world

Get involved

The Olympic Movement starts at home — with you. Join us today. Help make sure our bid for the Games creates a lasting legacy for our youth, our city, and our neighbors in the surrounding region.

Create your symbol of unity

Join the movement. Show your support for Washington 2024 and create the symbol of unity by overlaying your thumbs and making a “U” with your hands. Post your picture on Instagram, and don’t forget to tag #DC2024 & #Unity.

#DC2024

#DC2024 #unity

Why Washington

Unity begins here

We are at the crossroads of the world—home to international institutions, established destinations, transportation hubs, and world-class accommodations.

Things you didn’t know about the Capital Region

184Languages Spoken

175Embassies

29athletes from DC region in London 2012

618museums in Washington and the surrounding counties

3rdlargest marathon in the US

6thUS City on green City index

9James Beard nominated chefs in 2014

129,000hotel rooms

3.8MAmtrak passengers per year

850,000daily commuters on DC Metro

Over 136 millionsquare feet of retail space

Over 80professional theaters doing 200 performances a night throughout the region

No. 1most walkable city in the US

10professional sports teams

No. 1most fit, healthiest living

A great city to visit

Accommodating, fun, friendly, and accessible – Washington has become one of the most international, vibrant, and diverse cities in America. A city where Olympic athletes and their families will have the best Olympic experience possible.

A City with Culture for Everyone, where Sport is in our DNA.

Our Team

We are a diverse representation from the business, sporting and cultural communities across the Washington region.

Russ Ramsey,

Chairman & CEO

“DC stands shoulder to shoulder with other world class cities in the U.S. and around the globe to build the best Games in history. This is the beginning of our community’s effort to bring the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games to the Capital Region”

W. Russell “Russ” Ramsey is a successful entrepreneur, financier, businessman, educational leader and philanthropist. Over the course of his career, he has built multi-billion dollar businesses primarily in the fields of investment banking and money management, led George Washington University as Board Chairman for six years, invested in dozens of start-up companies and has been an active philanthropic investor, primarily by helping at-risk families.

Ted Leonsis,

Vice Chairman

“This is about bringing the world to Washington and bringing Washington to the world. The idea of fostering unity could leave, for the whole of mankind, the greatest Olympics legacy ever. Only Washington could do this”

Ted Leonsis is the founder, chairman, majority owner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the Washington Capitals (NHL), Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Mystics (WNBA) and Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. Leonsis retired from active management of AOL in 2006, where during the previous 13 years he held a number of senior positions, including vice chairman and president. The company recorded its greatest levels of innovation and growth under his leadership, and in May 2010 AOL named a central office tower The Leonsis Creative Center in his honor.

The rest of the team

Brian Rogers

Mr. Rogers is the Chairman of Baltimore-based asset manager T Rowe Price. He is a member of the John Hopkins University Board of Trustees and chairs the investment committee. In addition, Mr. Rogers is chairman of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Independent Review Board, a board member of the Greater Baltimore Committee, and a member of the investment committee for Vanderbilt University. He has served on the boards at Gilman School and Roland Park Country School in Baltimore.

Scott Brickman

Mr. Brickman is the former Chairman and CEO of The Brickman Group, the largest commercial landscape maintenance firm in the U.S. Mr. Brickman has served as a board member and in an advisory capacity to many organizations, including Kohlberg and Company, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, Sequel Health Services, Kellermeyer Building Services, Aegis Mobile and Product Lab. Mr. Brickman and The Brickman Group have been the recipient of many accolades, including the Society of Financial Professionals’ National Capital Business Ethics Award. Mr. Brickman and his wife, Patrice, are involved in many philanthropic causes, including Don Bosco Cristo Rey, Neediest Kids, and Visible Men, where Mr. Brickman sits on the Board, the National Center for Women and Children, Charity Works, Venture Philanthropy Partners, Catholic Charities and Ascend at the Aspen Institute.

Sheila Johnson

Sheila Johnson is the President, managing partner and governor of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. Together with her husband Robert, Ms. Johnson founded BET Network and sold the company in 1999 to Viacom. Ms. Johnson is also CEO of Salamander Hospitality, a company she founded in 2005, and is an owner/partner for the Washington Capitals and the Washington Wizards. Ms. Johnson is also a documentary film producer of acclaimed pictures such as “A Powerful Noise” (2008) and “The Other City” (2010), a film about the AIDS epidemic in Washington, D.C

Joe Solmonese

Joe Solmonese is a managing director and founding partner of Gavin/Solmonese and leads the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Prior to forming Gavin/Solmonese, Joe served for seven years as the president of the Human Rights Campaign(HRC), the nation's largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization. Under Joe's leadership, HRC was instrumental in passing landmark legislation such as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act as well as the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." HRC, under Joe's leadership, also played a key role in winning full marriage equality in eight states plus the District of Columbia. Prior to joining the Human Rights Campaign, Joe spent nearly 13 years at EMILY'S List, one of the nation's largest political action committees, devoted to electing women to higher office. During his final two years there, Joe served as the organization’s CEO.

General Les Lyles

General Les Lyles is a distinguished retired military officer with 36 years of service in the United States Air Force where he rose to the rank of four-star general. He served as Commander, Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force base in Ohio , the command responsible for all Research & Development and Logistics for the Air Force. This command had 82,000 personnel , with an annual budget of $40Billion. General Lyles is an active board member of several large companies, including General Dynamics Corp., KBR Corp., USAA, Precision Cast Parts Inc., and Battelle Laboratories. He is a member of the NASA Advisory Council. From 2010-2013, he served in the White House on the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. Gen. Lyles is now a member of the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board. He was inducted in the National Academy of Engineering in 2009 , and chairs the Academy’s Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board. He is also a member of the Defense Science Board in the Pentagon. General Lyles was born in the Ward 7 District of Washington, DC and currently resides in the Capital Region.

Fredrick D. Schaufeld

Fredrick D. Schaufeld is managing director of SWaN Investors & Legend Venture Partners, which he founded in 2006. SWaN is a private equity firm through which he has ownership interests and sits on the boards of numerous companies, including: Anonymous Content, Capital Sports Ventures, China Senior Care, CustomInk.com, Jose Andres Think Food Group, KIND Healthy Snacks, Social Radar, Quad Learning and the Washington Capitals, Mystics, Nationals and Wizards as well as the Verizon Center. In 1983, Mr. Schaufeld founded NEW Corp. (now NEWAsurion Corp., where he is currently Vice Chairman) with a $79 investment. NEWAsurion is now the world’s largest consumer product protection company, employing over 13,000 throughout the globe. Mr. Schaufeld and his wife, Karen, live in Virginia and are active in numerous organizations related to education, poverty, health, environment, peace and the arts.

Joseph Rigby

Joseph Rigby is President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepco Holdings, Inc, an energy holding company that provides utility service to over two million customers in the Washington region. Rigby is also immediate past chair of the United Way of the National Capital Area, and is a member of the senior council of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, having served as its chairman. He also serves on the boards of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Edison Electric Institute, the Federal City Council, the Greater Washington Initiative, and the Economic Club of Washington.

Paul Tagliabue

Paul Tagliabue served as the Commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) from 1989 to 2006 and currently works as a senior counselor at Covington and Burling, LLP. From 2009 to 2010, Mr. Tagliabue chaired the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Independent Advisory Committee to assess its governance structure and management responsibilities. Mr. Tagliabue has also served on many non-profit boards and is currently the Chairman of Georgetown University’s Board of Directors.

Anthony T. Pierce

ANTHONY T. PIERCE is a litigator whose practice focuses on complex commercial disputes in state and federal courts, including commercial and regulatory litigation, intellectual property, employment matters and internal investigations. He is the partner in charge of the Washington, D.C. office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a global law firm with 20 offices worldwide and more than 850 attorneys, as well as a member of the firm’s management committee. Before joining Akin Gump in 1987, he served as an evaluator for the U.S. General Accounting Office. In addition to his service on the D.C. Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure, where he is an appointee of President Obama, he is past president and a member of the board of trustees of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. Mr. Pierce is chair-elect of the Greater Washington Board of Trade and a member of the Leadership Greater Washington Class of 2002. A native Washingtonian, in 2012, he received the Minority Business Leader of the Year award from the Washington Business Journal, which also selected him as a “Top Washington Lawyer” for litigation in 2008.

Mark D. Lerner

Mark D. Lerner is a Principal Owner and Vice Chairman of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club and a Principal of Lerner Enterprises, one of the largest developers in the Washington, D.C. area. He is a partner in Monumental Sports & Entertainment and has a long history of community involvement with organizations such as the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, the Board of Hillel at The George Washington University, The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation, Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy in Anacostia, the Washington Nationals Diabetes Care Complex at Children’s National Medical Center and many others.

Kevin Plank

Kevin Plank is the CEO and founder of Under Armour, one of the world’s most innovative performance apparel, footwear, and equipment manufacturers. After 18 years of outfitting athletes, Plank now oversees a company with over 7,000 employees worldwide and total revenues reaching nearly $3 Billion. Under Armour athletic performance products are sold globally and are worn by athletes at all levels on playing fields all over the world. True to his vision in 1995, Plank and Under Armour remain committed to empowering athletes everywhere.

Denise Rolark-Barnes

Denise Rolark-Barnes is publisher of the Washington Informer, which was founded by her father Calvin Rolark. Ms. Rolark-Barnes manages many philanthropic and community-based foundations and has upheld her family’s legacy as a prominent voice in the Washington community. She is a graduate of Howard University Law School and was editor of Howard Univeristy Law School's student newspaper, The Barrister.

Anthony Williams

Anthony Williams was Mayor of Washington, D.C. from 1999 to 2007, and is currently the CEO and Executive Director of the Federal City Council of Washington, an organization instrumental in projects such as the Metro, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, and revitalization of Union Station. He had previously served as Chief Financial Officer for the District, managing to balance the budget and achieve a surplus within two years of appointment. Since September 2011, Mr. Williams has been affiliated with McKenna, Long & Aldridge LLP and has always been actively involved in local education initiatives, including serving on the boards of the nonprofit organization D.C. Children First and the national nonprofit Alliance for School Choice. He lives in the H Street, NE corridor of D.C.

Mark Ein

Mark Ein is the Founder and CEO of Venturehouse Group, LLC, an investment holding company, and Chairman and CEO of Capitol Acquisition Corporation II, a public company formed in May 2014 for the purposes of making acquisitions. Mr. Ein is also the Founder and Owner of the Washington Kastles, his hometown’s World Team Tennis (WTT) franchise. Mr. Ein is a D.C.-area native involved in many charitable D.C. organizations, and he currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of The District of Columbia Public Schools Education Fund (DCPEF).

Jair Lynch

Jair Lynch was a two time Olympian and won a silver medal in the parallel bars at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He was raised in Washington, DC and, after retiring, founded a real estate development and investment company in 1998 now known as JAIR LYNCH Development Partners. JLDP has managed large-scale development projects in the District of Columbia, including urban infill residential, commercial, retail and institutional projects involving new construction, tenant-in-place renovation, historic preservation and mixed-use development programs.

Robert G. Hisaoka

Robert G. Hisaoka is the President of RRR, LLC, Chairman of Carsquare, and an investor in and board member of Sionic Mobile and CoBrain. Mr. Hisaoka is also a former national champion in judo and remains active in the Capital Region mentoring young athletes. As a leading Washington-area philanthropist, Mr. Hisaoka supports approximately 25 charities focusing on health, education and sports and is the founder of the Joan Hisaoka Gala, which honors his late sister and benefits those with a family member living with cancer.

Jeong H. Kim

Jeong H. Kim is Chairman of Kiswe Mobile Inc., a start up focusing on interactive mobile video. His background ranges from being a CEO of a high technology start-up to senior executive of a Fortune 500 corporation and served as the President of Bell Labs from 2005 to 2013. Dr. Kim holds a Ph.D.from the University of Maryland and Master’s and Bachelor degrees from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Kim has sat on numerous corporate, University and non-profit boards and currently serves on the boards of Schneider Electric SA, ARRIS Group, Inc. and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and was named one of the 10 most influential Asian Americans in business for 2005 by the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber. In January, 2014 the government of France awarded him membership in the Legion of Honor for his services in global technology.

Rosie Allen-Herring

Rosie Allen-Herring is the President and CEO of United Way of the National Capital Area (United Way NCA). Formerly, Ms. Allen-Herring was the Managing Director of the Community Investment and Engagement Division at Fannie Mae. Ms. Allen-Herring holds key leadership roles within several business and civic organizations, including serving on the Board of Directors for the Greater Washington Board of Trade, District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Washington Area Women’s Foundation and Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital, in addition to several other organizations. She is also a graduate of Howard University.

José Andrés

Named “Outstanding Chef” by the James Beard Foundation and recognized by Time magazine on the “Time 100” list of most influential people in the world, José Andrés is an internationally- recognized culinary innovator, passionate advocate for food and hunger issues, author, television personality and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup. TFG is the team responsible for renowned dining concepts in Washington, DC, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and Puerto Rico, and supports Mr. Andrés’ media, creative and education projects, as well as philanthropic and social efforts. Mr. Andrés is a Capital Region resident and special advisor to The President for food related issues at The George Washington University.

Jim Hudson

Jim Hudson has had a lengthy and distinguished political career in Washington. Mr. Hudson was most recently the U.S. Representative to the European Reconstruction and Redevelopment Bank, which is the second highest-ranking official in London after the ambassador. He has also been a venture capital principal for the past 23 years, focusing on projects in energy cogeneration and efficiency, real estate development, commercial enterprises and consumer products. Mr. Hudson is Chairman of the Finance Committee of the National Capitol Revitalization Corporation Board in D.C. and was also a Co-Chair of the 2006 Fenty for Mayor campaign.

Linda Rabbitt

Linda Rabbitt is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of rand* construction corporation, a national commercial construction company. Founded in 1989, rand* specializes in building renovations, tenant interiors, base building, retail, restaurant and design-build services. Ms. Rabbitt is also Chair of the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Virginia, and the Lead Director of the Independent Board of Directors of Towers Watson. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Economic Club of Washington and is a Trustee of George Washington University and a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors. Ms. Rabbitt is the Founder and Lead Sponsor of OntheBoard, a George Washington University program designed to encourage female corporate board membership.

Mark Weinberger

Mark Weinberger is the Global Chairman & CEO of EY. He chairs the Global Executive, EY’s highest management body, the Global Practice Group and the Global Public Policy Committee. Mr. Weinberger served as the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (tax policy) in the George W. Bush Administration. He was also appointed by President Clinton to serve on the Social Security Advisory Board, which advises the president and Congress on all aspects of the Social Security system. Mr. Weinberger was Co-Founder of Washington Counsel, P.C., a D.C.-based law and legislative advisory firm that merged into EY and now operates as Washington Council EY. Finally, Mr. Weinberger co-chairs the Russian Foreign Investment Advisory Council and plays an active role in World Economic Forum (WEF) programs, serving as a member of its International Business Council.

Neil Cohen

Neil Cohen is the President and CEO of District Photo, Inc., the largest direct-to-consumer digital print, variable data printer and gift fulfillment service in the world. Mr. Cohen started with the company in 1976 in Beltsville, Maryland and has been leading it since 1989. Mr. Cohen is a native of Washington, D.C. and was previously the President of the Photo Marketing Association International. He is also involved in numerous business groups, including the World Presidents’ Organization, as well as a wide range of philanthropic organizations centering on children’s needs, education, faith and health, frequently holding committee or chair responsibilities in these groups.